Slow Down
by Nature9000
Summary: Tori is too overworked and it causes her friendships and her studies to suffer, so Andre comes up with a solution to help ease her tension.


Slow Down

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious

A/N: This idea came to me while listening to some piano music, the most beautiful instrument, in my opinion.

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-STEP BACK, TAKE A BREATH, AND SLOW DOWN-

Tori had a very busy week with rehearsals, finals, plays, her parents going out of town, and so many more things going on in her life. She had been rushing through the month, trying her best to get every task done as fast as possible so she could succeed. However, as anybody could see, it was causing her grades to slip a bit too much.

"Tori, you okay?" Andre sat next to his friend at the cafeteria table. She rubbed her temples and had her eyes shut tightly, her eyelids had formed small crease lines. He hoped to talk to her and figure why she'd been so short with people lately. On the table lay three books, all open to different pages. He raised his eyebrows and huffed, even he never did so much at once.

"I am not getting this!" She moaned and closed one of her books, she had enough of that particular textbook for one day. "To top it off, my parents went out of town and left me with a diva of a sister. Of course, Trina's got a cold, so now she's more demanding than usual!" Andre winced and closed one of the other textbooks, he could see she was struggling and felt she was trying way too hard.

"So, Jade says you yelled at Cat earlier…" Tori frowned and bowed her head, rubbing her hands into her hair. She had, and it wasn't even Cat's fault. She'd just been so frustrated that when Cat came for a question on a math assignment, she snapped. "You mind talking about that?" She groaned and lifted her head up, slapping her hands upon the table.

"Cat wanted me to help her with a math question. I was too busy and I snapped at her because I didn't want the extra work." Andre lifted his eyebrows and shook his head, Tori really needed to relax. She couldn't go around alienating all of her friends, or else she'd lose them easily. "I didn't mean anything by it, she's not mad at me, is she?"

"Well, no, but Beck and Jade are doing their best to comfort her, she was hurt."

"I'm so sorry…It's just-"

"I know." Andre lifted his hand up and smiled at her, he didn't need her to explain what was already obvious. Tori closed her eyes and pulled her one open book towards her; she needed to get back to studying. She didn't have time for chitchat. She pulled it so quickly that she nearly knocked over the drink Andre had with him. He yelped and grabbed at it as fast as he could, catching it as Tori's head snapped up apologetically. "Whoa!"

"Andre, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen…"

"It's okay, relax. It's no big deal." It was fortunate for him that there was a lid on the drink, so nothing spilled out when he caught it. He didn't want to get soda on his clothes. He sighed and looked up at the clock, school was almost out and an idea was forming in his mind. "Hey Tori, I have a suggestion, if you don't mind."

"What?"

"Meet me in the auditorium after school. Say, four thirty?" Tori frowned and looked to her book, she wasn't too sure if that would work out. She needed to make sure she got everything done. She knew once she got home, she wasn't going to be able to study with Trina's constant demanding attitude. Andre closed his eyes and sighed as he slowly closed her book.

"Hey!"

"Forget about the book for a moment. Meet me after school, I believe I have a solution to your problem." She looked away for a moment, unsure of what the problem was. When she glanced back, Andre was already leaving. She didn't have much choice, as she really did value his opinion on things. Plus, what was the harm, anyway?

After school, Tori dragged her feet to the auditorium where she often met her friends. She saw her friends all there, waiting for her. Jade smirked as she sipped her drink through a straw. "Hey, look what the cat dragged in," Jade stated. Cat blinked and looked at her with a confused look.

"I didn't drag her in!"

"I wasn't referring to you, Cat."

"Oh. I thought…okay." Jade rolled her eyes and looked for Beck for help, he chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. Tori gazed at the two, normally she would say something, but this time she was too tired to care. Cat smiled at her and placed her hands on her shoulder. "Hey Tori, it's good to see you."

"You too Cat, I'm sorry for earlier, by the way…"

"It's okay."

"So, what does everyone want?" She looked over to the stage and saw Andre leaning against a piano, his elbow propped on the top of it. Tori eyed the piano suspiciously and yelped as Beck and Jade lifted her up. "What are you guys doing!"

"This is for your own good," Beck said while carrying her to the stage and setting her in a chair near the piano. She frowned and looked at the doors with longing.

"Guys, I don't have time for this." Andre rolled his eyes and clasped his hands together, walking towards her.

"You have plenty of time in the world. I'm going to show you how to relax properly." She raised her eyebrows as he gestured towards the piano. "You need to slow down, Tori. You're going too fast and you're missing the beat." She didn't quite understand what he meant, but figured she'd just let him talk. He sat on the piano bench and placed his hands above the keys. "Sometimes, you just need to take a step back from everything, take a deep breath, and _slow down_."

"Slow down, yeah okay, I got that. Can we make this fast, though? I really need to study before I get home. I won't have any time with Trina's demands."

"No I'm not going to hurry through this, that would defeat the purpose!"

"Oh, sorry!" She didn't mean to snap, but she couldn't help it. She heard someone clear her throat and looked to the audience chairs where she spotted her sister smiling at her. Trina waved her fingers and leaned back.

"I don't think I'm _that_ demanding, and it's not like I ask for things too often. All I ask for is a bowl of soup, and that's it." Along with fluffing her pillows, rubbing her feet, changing her sheets, and every other thing Tori could possibly think of. "I'm with them, though, I think you're too stressed out. You can't even relax at home, you're so damn jumpy."

"It's not my fault, I'm too busy."

"Even the busiest people are calmer," Beck stated with a shrug. He was one of the busiest people in the school, but he was always laid back. "Take a look at me."

"I guess…" He did have a point, she wasn't much busier than he was, so why wasn't he going through all this trouble? Perhaps they were right, perhaps she did just need to slow down. She breathed out and brushed her hands on her pants. "Okay I give, play the song Andre."

"Thank you!" Andre cracked his neck and smiled, he had the perfect piano piece in mind. "This piece is called _Slow Down_, and it is composed by Paul Collier. What I want you to do is close your eyes and let the music take you to your calm place."

"Okay…" Tori slowly closed her eyes and breathed out as Andre began to play the very soothing, soft, and harmonious music. She folded her hands into her lap and sat up straight, but relaxed her body.

"That's right, relax yourself…" His voice was very soft and very soothing, as soothing as the piano. It lulled her into an even greater sense of calmness.

As the music went on, she found herself on a beach, with the warm sand in between her toes and the cool, crisp water rushing up onto her feet, washing them. She was peering off into the distance, watching the sun slowly set over the calm waves that the wind created. The wind was soft and warm against her face. She never took the time to notice just how beautiful the beach was.

She grasped her light blue dress and started walking across the beach, feeling the wondrous sand with every step. Not far from her, the seagulls would perch upon a nearby post while fish leapt out of the water and splashed the water up with their tails. It was a truly beautiful sight, why had she never taken notice to it before?

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was like music to her ears, the sounds the birds made was so gentle and melodious to her. Was this what they meant? Slowing down? Enjoying the finer things around her? She looked to her left and smiled as she saw her friends playing on the beach. Beck and Jade were sunbathing, Beck putting lotion on Jade's body while she gazed up into the sky. Robbie and Andre were playing volleyball, and Cat was cheering them on. Trina was there too, trying to sing and dance, and failing miserably at it. Tori laughed at her sister's awkwardness and looked back at the sunset, a picture to remember for sure.

As the music came to a close, Tori slowly opened her eyes. Her body felt light and her mind calm, she didn't feel like she was all jumbled up any longer. Her friends looked over at her as she calmly stood up and walked over to Andre. "You know, you really are a great musician."

"Thanks Tori, I try." He smiled and rose as the others walked onto the stage, they were all relaxed now. It was nice to just simply chill and take a break from the rushing world around them. "You know, you always have time to just relax. Even if it's just for five minutes in an hour, take a break and find your center. You know what I mean?"

"I think so." Trina placed her arm around Tori's shoulder and grinned pleasantly.

"You know, nobody's asking you to carry the whole world on your shoulders, Sis. Am I really _that _demanding?"

"Yes!" The others shouted and she rolled her eyes. Tori closed her eyes and laughed at her friends' reactions. Trina growled and crossed her arms, glaring fiercely at them.

"I am _not_ that bad! Now go away!" Tori laughed again and to Trina's surprise, she hugged her sister.

"I love you Trina." Trina gagged and tried to pull herself away from her sister's grasp, but she was being held too tightly.

"Uh, okay…now get off me!" Andre laughed at the two girls and picked up a CD from the top of the piano. He walked over to Tori, who finally released Trina. Trina shouted in triumph and hurried to hide behind Jade, who merely stepped to the side.

"Okay Tori, this CD is basically a bunch of this guy's piano music. Put this in your cd player when you feel like everything's starting to build up, and it'll help remind you to just slow down. It's never good to rush through everything, because when you're speeding, you miss a lot of life."

"I understand, and thanks again." Tori took the CD graciously and gingerly placed it into the front pocket of her backpack. At least she wasn't so tense anymore, maybe she could handle things one step at a time. With her mind clear, she felt as though she could really focus more on the things that were important. It was a good tactic, pressing the slow button on life every once in a while, and going to your calm place for a while. She would remember to use this in her life more often. It was times like these, when she was really thankful to have friends like Andre and the others. "Where would I be without you guys?" The others chuckled and Jade clicked her tongue, narrowing her eyes and smirking.

"Living your life as a ball of tension and daily migraine headaches." Tori gave Jade a pitiful look and smiled sarcastically.

"Thank you, Jade."

"Anytime!"

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I hope you enjoyed this oneshot, drop a review if you will!


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